


Ignorance is not always bliss

by genericfanatic



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Miscommunication, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-11-15 02:38:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18064979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/genericfanatic/pseuds/genericfanatic
Summary: Catra has never been great with emotions, not her own and not other people. So she's mostly just confused when Scorpia and Entrapta involve her in their brand new relationship.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how long this will be, not that long I imagine, but who knows?

Catra poured over the map of the planet, deciding on her next target. Where could she hit that was vulnerable enough to penetrate, but not obvious enough that they’d guess?

She wanted to pick off someone else from Adora’s precious princess alliance. It would be a warning against fighting together against the horde for any other princesses. And if maybe it would hurt Adora as well…..that was just a perk.

“Hey Catra!” Scorpia said directly behind her, making her fur stand straight up.

“Dammit Scorpia,” Catra said, catching her breath, “What have I told you about sneaking up on me?”

“I’m sorry!” Scorpia said, putting her pincers up in surrender, “I just walked in and you were so focused.” She looked over the map in front of Catra. “Any luck getting a new target?”

“I’m thinking Salineas,” She said, “if we can do a stealth assault, we could take the seagate. That will be helpful for our ships, and it has a runestone for Entrapta to work on.”

“It’ll involve a lot of water, though,” Scorpia said, “will you be ok with that?”

Catra’s lips curled up, “I won’t be anywhere near the water,” she said, “I’ll be creating a diversion, attacking Bright Moon again. She-Ra will draw her forces to protect her Favorite friends,” she said the words with poison in her voice, “and then you’ll take the seagate with our actual forces.”

“Ooh, that’s smart!” Scorpia said, “so, we’ll figure out the details tomorrow, I guess, work out the logistics with the team.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Catra said, arching her back to stretch. She’s been at this longer than she thought.

“Great!” Scorpia said, overly cheerful, “then, I have something I want to talk to you about.”

“Can’t it wait ‘til the meeting tomorrow?” Catra said, starting to feel the effects of her long work. She wanted to curl up and go to bed.

“It’s not a meeting thing,” Scorpia said, “actually it’s...it’s personal. But very serious.”

Catra screwed up her eyebrows at Scorpia, trying to work out what she could possibly be talking about, “what?” She said, failing.

Scorpia tooka deep breath, “I have feelings for Entrapta,” she said quickly, shutting her eyes to await Catra’s judgement.

Catra blinked. She blinked again. Something in the pit of her stomach swirled with what she recognized and labeled ‘emotions, do not touch.’ As usual, she beat them back with a stick and focused on Scorpia. “Uh...ok,” She said, then realized she was in charge of Scorpia now. “Are you asking for permission to ask her out? Because you know that’s forbidden for horde soldiers.”

“Not for force captains,” Scorpia corrected, “it was in force-“

“Force captain training, right,” Catra finished, irritated, “is there a manual with all the stuff I need to know or something? Or maybe an audio recording?”

Scorpia laughed. Dammit, what did Catra’s emotions want now? She was busy. “Well, anyway,” Scorpia said, “it’s fine for force captains and above to date, as long as they don’t date a rank below them, unless they were already registered as a couple before the relevant promotion occurred,” Scorpia explained, “and Entrapta’s technically a civilian! So it all works out.”

“Ah-huh,” Catra said, thinking it was weird that Scorpia gave all that introduction for this. “Well, Alright then.”

Scorpia brightened, “really?” She said, “I swear, it won’t come between us, I can split my time, and maybe we can even hang out all three of us! I think she really likes you too.”

Catra rolled her eyes. As frivolous as Scorpia could be, she was nothing less than professional. She should have known Catra wouldn’t worry about her work ethic. “I already said yes,” she said, “do what you want.”

Scorpia squealed and captured Catra in a tight hug. Catra had come to expect these, and knew to just hold on until it was over. At least Scorpia had learned to let her breath. “Ah! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!” 

“Alright, alright,” Catra said, her phrase that Scorpia knew meant ‘that was enough affection and now Catra was feeling weird.’ “I’m going to bed. Don’t stay up late with your new girlfriend.”

Scorpia blushed as red as her claws, “she hasn’t even said yes yet!” Scorpia said.

Catra smiled, just a hint of her emotions leaking up, making her feel light, almost something that verged on happy, “she will,” she reassured her captain.

 

The incident had practically left Catra’s mind by the time the meeting came around. She wanted to be there, to see Adora’s crushed face when she realized she’d been played. She would make Adora regret...everything. Just everything. And she would win.

The soldiers all agreed with her plan, falling in line. Catra preened, knowing this feeling. It felt like...like righteousness. Making up for all those years she felt second. She embraced the feeling, letting it carry her forward.

She beat down all the pain she felt whenever she thought about Adora. There was no point anymore.

After everyone was set to go, Entrapta managed to corner her. “Entrapta, I thought you were going to prepare to study the Seagate’s rune stone, once we capture it.” 

“Oh I am more than ready!” Entrapta said, springing up to salute, “I’ve already got a number of tests in mind as to how the stone will affect the ocean. You know, water is one of the most powerful forces on the planet, it’ll be able to create a number of shields and transports once we get some control over it. And not to mention the discoveries we could make! The ocean covers so much of the planet’s surface, imagine all we’ll be able to do if we could lift it up and see what’s under--”

“Entrapta,” Catra had to cut her off, “Do you have a point?”

“Oh, yes! Right!” she said, distracted back to her train of thought, “Scorpia told you already that we’re embarking on a intimate social experiment?”

Catra blinked for several seconds. It usually took her a minute to wrap her brain around whatever Entrapta said. Entrapta had learned to wait it out. “Are you talking about dating?”

“Yes!” Entrapta said, bouncing on the ends of her hair, “It’s so fascinating! The intertwining of a pair of social lives for potential mating and life companionship. There are SO many experiments I want to run!” 

Catra nodded, unsure, “Well, glad you two found each other.”

Catra tried to step out of the room, but Entrapta intercepted her, “I require your assistance.”

“Huh?” Catra said, a little mad at herself that she couldn’t come up with anything more clever.

“You are one of my only acquaintances with any romantic experience, AND you have your own intimate knowledge of Scorpia.” Entrapta said, getting a little closer than Catra was entirely comfortable with, “You are the logical choice to be my assistant!”

“Uhhhhhhh,” Catra said, taking a few seconds to try and decipher, but this was a little out there, even for Entrapta. “What, uh, what do I have to do?”

“Well, you could attend romantic outings with us,” Entrapta said, counting off on her hair, “Engage in lifestyle coordination and of course, observe or even participate in physical affection, if you so choose!” 

Catra frowned at her, “Are you...sure you want me here for that?”

“Absolutely!” She said excited, “I’m sure Scorpia would too!”

That was weird, Catra thought, that Scorpia and Entrapta would want her to come with them on their dates, but...they WERE weird people. “I mean, sure, I guess!”

“Magnificent!” Entrapta said, flapping her hands, “I’m not much of a hugger, but would you like a firm two person hand clap?” 

“A What?” Catra asked. Entrapta held up her hand. “Oh,” and she gave her a high five.

“I’ll let you know the time and date of the first event after the mission! Good luck!”

 

The mission was a failure. Scorpia did not take the seagate. The only good news is that they’d incured a great deal of damage. That would at least be a warning to other princesses. If you joined the alliance, you became a target of the horde.

Catra was still in her sourest of moods when she came out of her meeting with Hordak. Scorpia and Entrapta were waiting for her. “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry,” Scorpia said, “I almost had them, that guy with the ships was like, right there, and his ship was on fire and there were these traps and—“

“I know, Scorpia,” Catra said, “I read your report.” Scorpia was still looking distressed. “It’s fine,” Catra said, reassuring her, “really, there’s no way you could have known. I talked with Hordak and we’ve agreed to up our reconnaissance efforts.”

“Oooh, recon!” Entrapta said, “like research, can I—“

“No,” Catra said. She already knew that the princesses most likely thought Entrapta was dead. She was fine keeping Entrapta in the dark. “We need you here, Entrapta. Don’t worry, the horde has plenty of spies.”

Entrapta was satisfied, and nodded. “Sounds like you both could use some cheering up. Would you like to venture on our first outing? I think Scorpia had something in mind.”

Scorpia finally smiled, still feeling some shame. “Well, the officers tent is showing a horror film, ‘The Princess Of the Black Lagoon!”

“You hate horror movies,” Catra said, “the last one we went to you clung to me the whole time.” It was one of the first movies Catra had ever seen. Being a force captain had perks.

Scorpia blushed again, shuffling her feet. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to…” she said.

Catra shrugged. It wasn’t her date, she wasn’t there to make decisions. And she rather liked horror movies. “It’s fine with me. I just don’t know if you wanted that for your first date with Entrapta. I mean, you and I go to those all the time.”

Scorpia had a confused expression, but Entrapta interrupted, “I think it’s a wonderful idea! I’m curious as to what horde entertainment is like.”

They sat in the back of the theater. Entrapta seemed to think it was more of a comedy, getting looks from the other officers there as she cackled. “Did I do something wrong?”

“You’re fine,” Catra said, and glared down the officers. They cowered, turning back around to watch the movie. Catra smiled to herself. Power felt good.

Scorpia, meanwhile, was just managing to peek behind her pincers. “Oh no...oh no, get out of the water...oh no they’re gonna be pulled in!” Despite saying it and knowing that would be the result, she still yelped when it inevitably happened.

Catra herself was mildly entertained. She could see through the effects, so it wasn’t scary, but the story was interesting.

Scorpia leaned into her, “Entrapta doesn’t really like being touched” she whispered, “do you mind…?”

Catra sighed, but wasn’t really bothered. She opened up her arms and Scorpia dived in, burying her face in Catra’s shirt.

Catra rolled her eyes. Even she didn’t notice the tiny smile on her own face until much later.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra wrestles more with her feelings, but figuring them out only seems to make things worse.

Catra was having a problem. She was beginning to identify the feeling she was feeling every time she saw Scorpia and Entrapta together. It was one she was familiar with, every time she saw Adora succeed, every time someone washed Adora in praise, and then when she had seen Adora with her ‘new friends.’ It was jealousy. A sick green of envy. She was wanting something she couldn’t have.

After a lifetime of wanting things she wasn’t allowed, she wouldn’t let the world keep her from this anymore. 

She would take Scorpia from Entrapta. 

It was almost too easy. 

Scorpia and Catra shared a room ever since Catra became force captain. Early on, Catra wasn’t comfortable sleeping on a bed alone, reminding her too much that Adora was gone, and so ended up curled at the base of Scorpia’s bed. Scorpia’s tail was nice to curl against. 

But now, Catra stretched out, moving up the bed and curling more into Scorpia’s side. Scorpia froze at the surprise touch. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“Uhh,” Scorpia said, her voice wavering. In the dark, Catra could still see her blush. “N-no! Totally fine!” Catra grinned. So, so easy.

“Fascinating,” a third voice in the room said, making Catra tense, “While subjects have shared close quarters , only a mere 2 feet adjustment in posiion creates a level of higher intimacy.”

Catra blinked up focusing on the bright eyes of Entrapta, who was hanging from the ceiling by her hair in a sort of cocoon, using one strand of hair to hold up a flashlight as she furiously scribbled in her notebook. “Entrapta what are you doing in here?!”

“Uh,” Scorpia said, “I uh, I invited her,” she said, meekly, “Its just, that dungeon was really cold, and we have the extra bed in here, so I thought…”

“I gave Emily the bed,” Entrapta said, and Catra looked down to see the round robot resting on a bed that was definitely not designed to hold it’s weight, “I’m fine hanging here. Your buildings have a lot of exposed pipes…”

“I’m sorry,” Scorpia said, “I just didn’t want my girlfriend freezing in a dungeon.”

Catra sighed. This would be the perfect moment to come between them, separate them out...unless it backfired and accidentally pushed Scorpia away from Catra instead. An elaborate set up. Not bad, Entrapta, not bad. “It’s fine,” Catra said, “As long as she’s comfortable, I guess.”

“Very comfortable,” Entrapta said, “the pipes here make much more soothing sounds when they’re tapped.” To emphasize, she lightly hit one with her hair, creating an echo. 

Scorpia chuckled, “Thanks Catra,” She said, “Now, would you mind...um...your claws, uh,” 

Catra looked down and noticed when she’d tensed, she accidentally sank her claws into Scorpia’s pajamas. “Oh, sorry.” She retracted them and settled down. 

 

Catra was confused. Her efforts to put a wedge between Scorpia and Entrapta had….mixed results. 

On the one hand, all of her flirting with Scorpia definitely left Scorpia flustered, so she had to assume it was working. But Entrapta just...refused to be mad? At first Catra thought it was because she just didn’t understand what was going on, (Entrapta sometimes missed out on social cues) but every single time she just made notes in her journal whenever Catra and Scorpia were snuggling or whatever. She HAD to get it...right? 

“CATRA!” 

“AH!” Catra was pulled out of her frustrations to see Entrapta hanging from her hair on the ceiling. 

“Scorpia mentioned you didn’t like people sneaking up on you!” Entrapta said excitedly, “So I tried announcing my presence right away, did it work?” 

Catra took a deep breath. “Maybe try not announcing so LOUD next time?” 

“Noted,” Entrapta said, filling out her book, “Anyway,” she came down from the ceiling like a spider, “I’ve been talking to people about the best way to map out the ventilation systems of the Horde base, and everyone recommended you! Apparently you’ve spent a lot of time in there?” 

Catra blinked, scrunching up her nose at this, her enemy. “I mean, I guess. Why?” 

“Would you go with me?” Entrapta asked, big red eyes blinking up at her, “I’d ask Emily, but she’s a bit too big. And Scorpia’s away on a mission, and she doesn’t like small spaces anyway.” 

Catra’s refusal was on the tip of her tongue, along with a few choice insults. But then, a thought came floating by. This was her chance to find out more about Entrapta, and maybe, she’d find something to take her down. “You know what,” She said, “That sounds like a great idea.”

Entrapta jumped, flapping her hands up and down. “High hair!” She said, holding up one ponytail. Catra high fived it. 

The two of them were small enough it was easy to wiggle through the ventilation system, Catra leading Entrapta through. Catra still had to squeeze through some of the tighter paths. “Ugh, this was so much easier when I was a kid.”

“Why did you like coming here as a kid?” Entrapta asked, “Were there a lot of games in here?”

Catra snorted. “Kinda the opposite,” she said, making her way forward, “I mostly just did it to hide. Usually from Shadowweaver, but sometimes other instructors. Sometimes even Adora.” The name was out her mouth before she could stop it, all the swirling negative emotions surrounding her old friend bubbling up to the surface. 

“I used to hide out in the vents of my castle too,” Enrapta said, “I’d do it to hide from my servants.” Catra rolled her eyes. Princesses…. “They wanted me to eat disgusting things like vegetables and big old sandwiches that stretched my mouth weirdly. You know, my mouth is actually 20% smaller than average for my face size.”

“You could have fooled me,” Catra muttered, more to herself than Entrapta as she prattled on.

“Anyway, I wasn’t old enough to properly articulate my distress at the time, still functioning primarily on emotion-based logic which, as you know, isn’t logical at all. Only when I was older did I learn the incredible techniques of proper scientific experimentation, and I was able to properly deduce foods that were amenable to me. Amenable means I like them.”

“I know what it means,” Catra said.

“Oh good,” Entrapta said, passing over completely any signs of indignance on Catra’s part. “It was hard to convince the horde chefs to get me the tiny foods that I need. They’re not exactly customed to making amenable foods, I noticed. But I literally can’t eat anything that’s too big. Sometimes I’ll cut it up into small pieces, but it’s not the same. I much prefer just the whole thing to be small, so I can experience all the flavors and textures in a single bite, rather than worrying about distributing the ingredients equally. Luckily Scorpia was able to talk with them, and we got it all worked out.” 

The mention of Scorpia perked Catra’s interest. “So….Scorpia. How’s it going between you two?” 

“We’re ranking very high on all ‘emotional honesty’ levels,” Entrapta said, “Scorpia is very open with her feelings, While I often don’t know how to hide things if I tried,” At least she’s self aware, Catra thought. “We’re working through some physical affection levels currently. It’s not progressing as fast as I may have hoped, but there is a steady line of improvement.”

“What does that mean?” Catra asked, picking a direction to go when the vent cut in two directions. 

“Hmm, well,” Entrapta said, “I have extraordinarily sensitive skin.”

“Of course you do,” Catra said with a roll of her eyes, “You’re a princess.”

“Royalty actually has very little to do with someone’s nerve endings,” Entrapta said, taking Catra’s statement literally. “I however cannot often deal with prolonged skin contact. My governess said it was something psychological as a child, but Psychology is a science that’s harder to test, especially on oneself.” 

Couldn’t stand being touched, hm? Now that was interesting. “That’s a shame,” Catra said, trying to hide her true delight, “I know Scorpia’s a hugger.” Oh she knew ALL too well. 

“Yes,” Entrapta said, “She’s mentioned her emotional needs for physical contact. We theorized together it was from being touchstarved as a child.”

Catra frowned, “‘Touchstarved?’” 

“Mmmhmm,” Catra heard Entrapta doing something behind her, but she could hardly guess what. “She was rejected by both the princesses for being a horde soldier, and the horde for being a princess. It’s pretty lonely.” 

Catra blinked. She hadn’t really thought about that. Scorpia was so friendly to her all the time, she never considered her being lonely. 

“But anyway, we’re working an alternate techniques, like I don’t mind my hair being touched, so we’re trying things like, using my hair as a buffer. It’s a work in progress.” Entrapta said. “Ok, make a turn up ahead and then I should have my map completed.”

“What is this map for, anyway?” Catra asked. 

“For fun,” Entrapta told her.

Catra frowned, but turned, leading her to an opening in the wall. She jumped down gracefully, while Entrapta descended behind her, her hair holding her up. Catra couldn’t help snorting as she looked at her, “Your hair is a disaster.”

“Ah, yeah,” Entrapta said, bringing forth a dusty strand. “Washing it is kind of an intense process. And I don’t have my servants here to help.” She smiles like a lightbulb is going off over her head, “Would you help me?”

Catra scowled, “I’m not your servant.”

“No, no, of course not,” Entrapta said, “But your claws are uniquely situated for combing through the thicker strands! And I could do the same for you and your hair, if you’d like!”

Catra blinked. Sometimes the other girls in their squadron would have little makeovers on their downtime. Adora even joined them on occasion. But Catra had always thought it a waste of time.

Still, Adora wasn’t here now… “Sure,” she said, thinking she’d get some more dirt on Entrapta. 

 

However much hair Catra THOUGHT Entrapta had, there was at least twice that. “It just keeps GOING?!” she said, almost in awe of the large amount. 

Entrapta hummed, completely immune to Catra’s freakout as she lay back, letting her hair go limp. “Yeah, it does that,” she said. 

Luckily, it moved fluidly along with Catra’s every movement. How she ended up Elbow deep in pink strands and shampoo, even she wasn’t sure. This was going a bit overboard to get dirt on Entrapta, she had to admit. And yet, she kept going. 

She made it all the way down to the scalp, finally, when Entrapta gasped. “What?” Catra asked. 

“Do that again,” she said. Catra scraped her claws along the scalp and Entrapta sighed in relief, “That feels sooooo nice.”

Catra kept scratching for a few minutes until she stopped. Entrapta whined. “I’m going to claw your scalp off if I keep going,” she said. Entrapta grumped, but agreed, “My turn.”

Catra didn’t really know what she was expecting, turning over her head to another person, but she didn’t understand why Entrapta found this relaxing. She closed her eyes as Entrapta massaged water and weird oils into her mane and bits of fur, even her tail, scrunching up her face “How often do you wash this?” Entrapta asked.

Catra frowned, “I’m usually busy,” she said, “and I’m not that fond of water.” 

“Ahhh,” Entrapta said, “Why didn’t you say so?!” 

Entrapta grabbed a towel and went for the towel, patting the drops out. “I’m just going to use a bit of conditioner to undo the tangles.” Entrapta told her, methodically combing the ends with a wide brush, moving slowly and diligently. It didn’t hurt once. 

“Your hair is so thick and luscious!” Entrapta said, “I love the layers in it. Gives more of that ‘wild’ look.” 

Entrapta found herself smiling. Ok, this...this was actually nice. Entrapta moved up to her roots, scraping the comb along her scalp….and yeah that felt wonderful. She understood why Entrapta had her scratch there for so long.

Before she even knew what came over her, she was purring, perfectly content. 

She only opened her eyes when she heard the door click open. “Scorpia!” Entrapta said, happily, abandoning Catra’s head to run forward.

“No wait, Entrapta, I’m holding coffee!” Scorpia said, but it was too late. Entrapta wrapped herself in her hair like a cocoon and jumped into Scorpia’s arms. 

Luckily, Scorpia’s tail caught the flying coffee cup, though some splashed over. Entrapta, completely unrepentant, snuggled in closer to Scorpia, and Scorpia smiled fondly. “Here, Catra,” Scorpia said, “I brought you a coffee. Sorry it spilled.” 

“It’s fine.” Catra said, taking the cup. It was made exactly the way she liked it. How did Scorpia just know to do that?

Scorpia carried Entrapta away, holding her close, but being careful to only touch the parts of Entrapta buffered by hair. Entrapta relaxed against Scorpia, the both of them wrapped up in their own world of happiness. 

Catra got up slowly, watching them, some feeling dropping in her heart like a stone. It was more than jealousy. She didn’t just want to take Scorpia from Entrapta. She wanted...that. What they had. What she and Adora once almost had.

She wanted to be loved. 

And she wanted that love not only from Scorpia, who seemed to know her so well, who was friendly despite of a life of loneliness not unlike her own, but also Entrapta, who wanted her expertise, who prattled on about inane things, and accommodated Catra because she wanted to make Catra happy. 

She wanted BOTH of them at the same time, to love her and care for her. But they were too busy loving and caring for one another. 

She cursed her heart. First Adora, and now this pair. It was like it wanted to be broken. 

She left the room quickly trying to get her annoying feelings under some sort of control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like writing for Entrapta.   
> Also, you can take autistic Entrapta out of my cold dead hands.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra dips into misery as she realizes her feelings for Scorpia and Entrapta, but hopefully some news will clear things up.

“Move, will you?! Catra needs these plans drawn up like RIGHT NOW.”

“Who would have thought such a slacker would become such a hard boss.”

“Shut up! She’ll hear you! She’s been in a bad, bad mood.”

Catra did hear them, as it happened. The new recruits weren’t being nearly as quiet as they thought they were as they approached her office (she had an office now it was so weird) and handed her reports. 

She thought about snapping at them, but just settled for a terrifying glare. That got the message across well enough. The recruits scurried away, running anywhere they’d be out of her sight. 

They were right. Catra was in a bad, bad mood. Had been for the last several days, and it wasn’t just the lack of sleep, though that certainly played a role. 

She couldn’t stand to be back in her room at the same time as Scorpia or Entrapta anymore. Which meant she didn’t sleep the night there. Which meant she only got little cat-naps in every once in a while. 

Mostly she just threw herself into her work. That was easier. If she relaxed for too long, her thoughts would stray to Scorpia and Entrapta, and then she’d make herself sad, then angry that she’d been sad, and then just cycle through every negative emotion in the book until she was more tired than before she slept. 

Deep in her psyche she knew she was getting worse. She was more irritable than ever. She was miserable ALL the time. She had just wanted something for herself for ONCE. It felt like no matter how much she progressed, there would always be something she didn’t have. 

Whatever. She would get over it. She just had to push through, like she always did. Her feelings would go away, and she’d go back to her true dream of being the leader of the Horde and gaining power. This is what she wanted. What she needed. Friends? Partners? It was all unnecessary. 

Unfortunately, it was getting a bit harder to ignore when Scorpia had to report to her multiple times a day. “Catra?” Scorpia said softly, knocking on the door, “I have those inventory lists you wanted to go over?”

Catra sighed. She didn’t trust herself to speak, so she just held out her hand. Scorpia rested the documents there, and Catra looked them over. Her eyes weren’t focusing on the words, so she didn’t process much, which unfortunately allowed her to notice that Scorpia was still in the room. “What?”

Scorpia straightened up. “I was wondering if you’d want to join Entrapta and I in a treat yourself day. She just built a new spa robot that’s supposed to be great for relaxation, and I thought maybe you’d enjoy.”

Catra didn’t feel much like enjoying anything. She felt like being by herself and staying miserable. “Can’t,” she lied, “I have work to do.”

The truth was there wasn’t much to do until their recon team came back and they could start planning their next tactics. But they weren’t scheduled to return for a few more days. Scorpia knew that, but Catra hoped she didn’t question it much. 

“Oh,” Scorpia said, hanging her head, “Well, we can wait until you’re done. Whenever you’re free, you know?”

“Don’t bother,” Catra said, pretending she was reading and that the words didn’t blur in front of her face, “You two can enjoy a date night without me.”

“We can,” Scorpia said, “but...we WANT you to be there.”

Catra rolled her eyes. Big mistake, that made them hurt more, “Look, I don’t want to be part of your little experiment anymore. If you guys need a chaperone, find someone else.”

“Is that how you feel?” Scorpia asked, leaning in, and Catra could practically feel the protective vibes coming off her, “That you’re a chaperone, or...or a third wheel to us?”

Catra shrugged, putting most of her focus on keeping her face neutral. This was impossible, she’d never been neutral in her life. “It’s whatever.”

“It’s not ‘whatever!’” Scorpia said, “Look, I know it’s no fun to feel left out. I never meant to make you feel like that.” She rubbed her pincers to her temples. 

“I mean, it’s only natural,” Catra said, “You guys are dating. Its fine. I don’t need you to baby me.”

“Caring about someone isn’t ‘babying,’” Scorpia argued, “Oh, I knew this was a bad idea. I shouldn’t have asked Entrapta out, I knew it would get between us...but she’s so nice and so pretty, I couldn’t help it.”

“There’s no us!” Catra said, standing up, “So forget about it!” 

She hated how destroyed seeing Scorpia’s crushed face made her feel. “You don’t mean that…”  
Her voice sounded so small.

Catra steeled herself. “I do. So just...go have fun with your girlfriend.”

Scorpia actually had tears in her eyes, “Catra…”

Catra didn’t look back as she slammed the door behind her, walking off to who knows where.

 

Catra found herself in the vents again. At first she just walked aimlessly, but she’d always encounter some soldier or another. She glared them down and they usually ran, but she didn’t want to just be scary. She wanted to break down and cry, and she couldn’t let anyone see her like that. 

So, the vents. It wasn’t the best place. She had to keep very quiet, knowing that sounds she made might reverberate, and someone would hear her. So she buried her face in her knees, muffling her tears, the way she had done back when it was clear Adora wasn’t coming back. 

The vents weren’t as comforting anymore. They just reminded her of her trip with Entrapta, and having fun with her there, a fun trip that got her into this mess she was in now. She could almost still hear Entrapta scribbling on her notepad. 

Wait a minute. She COULD hear Entrapta scribbling on her notepad. She jerked her head up, coming face to face with Entrapta, who was hanging upside down in one of the vents. “What are you doing here!” Catra yelled, “Get out, get out, get out!”

Entrapta froze, her eyes going blank. “Are you stupid?” Catra said, “LEAVE ME ALONE.”

For once, Entrapta was silent. She tried to open her mouth, but no sound came out. She tucked into herself, wrapping her hair around her. Catra’s heart broke again, and it made her wonder how many pieces her heart had left anymore to break. 

“Look just…” Catra said, irritated, “Just come on.” She opened up the vents and jumped out into the (thankfully) empty corridor. 

Entrapta was slow to follow her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, “I don’t...I never know the right thing to do. You said not to surprise you, and then you said not to be silent, and I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I don’t want to make you mad.”

Something in Catra was screaming at her to comfort Entrapta, but she had to remind herself she WAS mad. Though, Entrapta hadn’t really done anything wrong, except exist. “Well it’s rude to be just spying on people, especially when they want to be alone.”

“But I had to talk to you!” Entrapta said, “I...I’m the problem, I know it. I came between you and Scorpia, I didn’t mean to! That’s why I was taking such careful notes, I had to make sure we weren’t going to run into problems. But we did anyway.” Entrapta took off her goggles. “Catra, I have to admit something to you.” She took a deep breath, “I’m not very good with emotions.”

Catra raised her eyebrows, waiting for a moment for Entrapta to finish. “Oh, you’re done,” she said, “I...I knew that, Entrapta.”

“But I was tired of letting that stop me, especially when an opportunity opened itself up to me!” Entrapta said, “You and Scorpia have both been so nice to me. I wanted to explore what a relationship would be like. But now I’ll lose you both….”

“Look,” Catra said, running her hand through her frazzled hair, “you’re not going to lose Scorpia, ok? Just… you guys can date and I’ll be fine. Everything will go back to normal.” Once she managed to get her stupid feelings under control. 

“But it’s not normal!” Entrapta said, “You two were dating first, so if one of us has to back out then it should be me!” 

“No, it should be--” Catra started arguing before the words had fully processed. “Wait, say that again.”

“Uhhh,” Entrapta said, pulling out her recorder. She rewound a few seconds and played. “But it’s not normal! You two were dating first, so--”

“Stop there,” Catra said, and Entrapta hit the button. “What do you mean, ‘you two were dating?’ Me and Scorpia? We weren’t dating.”

“Yes you were,” Entrapta said, looking worried like Catra might have incurred brain damage, “Here, listen.” 

Entrapta fussed with her tapes, exchanging the information until she played an old tape. Scorpia’s voice came out of the recorder. “Catra’s the best girlfriend I could ask for. I asked her out after our romantic boatride out to Salineas. She buries her feelings deep down, but I can still read her. I was comforting her and we just sort of fell together.”

Scorpia sighed wistfully on the tape as Catra blinked, once, twice, three times in quick succession, the world seeming to turn on its side. 

She remembered that trip from Salineas. She remembered feeling miserable, and angry, angry that Adora or ‘’’She-Ra’’’’’ had escaped her once again, had made a fool of her. Angry that she was surrounded by water all around her. Miserable at the sensation of her stomach jerking with every wave. 

Scorpia had held her steady, pressing pincers to a point in her wrist that made her feel better. Catra had closed her eyes, resting against her, as Scorpia jabbered away about….something. 

Come to think of it, Catra couldn’t remember a thing she’d said, but did remember responding with vague affirmative grunts. If Scorpia HAD asked her out….and she’d just blindly said yes….

“Oh my Hordak…” Catra said, her eyes getting wide as dinner plates, “But how….and then she asked you, and YOU were dating--”

“And then I came to talk to YOU about making us a triad,” Entrapta said, “So that we’d all be dating together, and Scorpia wouldn’t split her time between two girlfriends. And besides,” Entrapta said, shuffling her feet, “I like you too.”

The world hadn’t stopped spinning yet. Catra felt like she was about to fall. “But…” She said, attempting to make a coherent thought, “You asked...wanted me to chaperone…”

“No, I didn’t,” Entrapta corrected, “I wanted you to GO on the date. With us.” Entrapta tilted her head, “Was that not clear? Sometimes I’m not clear, I’ve been told.”

Catra let herself collapse in a crouch. “No, you were not.”

Entrapta hovered around her, “Are you alright? Are you experiencing nausea? Vertigo? There might be a plague of some kind in the vents.”

“No,” Catra said, waving her off, “I mean, I do feel those things, but its not a plague. I just need a minute.”

Could this be happening? Could both people she liked….really like her back? She could have them? They wanted her, together? The concept didn’t make sense with her idea of reality. It was a dream or a hallucination or something. Not only did they want her, but they wanted her before she even knew she wanted them. 

A beeping broke her out of her intense thinking. She looked up at Entrapta, who turned off her timer. “It’s been one minute,” she said so sincerely. If it had been anyone else, Catra would have thought she was mocking her. But this was Entrapta, she was incapable of doing so. Which is why Catra liked her. 

She let out a chuckle. The chuckle turned to a giggle, and the giggle to a laugh, increasing more and more until Catra was clutching at her stomach. 

“Oh no,” Entrapta said, hunching over her, “Do you have delirium as well?”

Catra shook her head, unable to stop laughing until she stood up. She almost reached out for Entrapta when she remembered what she’d said about touching. “Can I hug you?”

Entrapta was still looking at her confused, but after a moment, wrapped herself up in her hair and allowed Catra to hug her. “I don’t understand,” Entrapta admitted, small.

“I know,” Catra said, still laughing, “Come on, I’ll explain on the way, we have to go find Scorpia.”

 

“Oh no!” Scorpia said, once they’d found her and explained everything, all three nestled together on Scorpia’s bed, Emily across from them, “We failed at the first tenement of triad dating! Proper communication of all parties!”

Catra couldn’t help but laugh again. Her mouth was starting to hurt, how did people stand laughing like this all the time? “I think we’ll get a pass this time,” Catra said, “besides, If I’d known you were asking me out originally, I’d have said no.”

Scorpia’s face fell just slightly, but Catra took her pincer in her hand. “I just wasn’t ready at the time. But...I think, maybe I am now,” She didn’t manage to get through it without blushing, but that was ok, because neither did Scorpia. 

“Clearly the answer is better documentation on all parts,” Entrapta said, “Maybe you both should keep notes on our relationship like I do!”

Neither Catra nor Scorpia looked too thrilled with this idea. “I think maybe we just need to be able to talk more to each other. Share how we’re feeling.” 

Catra stiffened, her laughter gone. Scorpia tilted her head, “What’s wrong?”

Catra sighed, “I’m...not very good at talking about my emotions,” She said, “I might mess up again.”

Scorpia actually smiled, “Then we’ll work something out,” she said, “We each have our flaws and good points. But I do think, eventually, we’ll all be good for each other.”

Catra blushed even harder. “Me too.”

“Me three!” Entrapta added. Scorpia’s smile became a beam and she opened her arms. Both Catra and Entrapta crawled into them, looking for a good snuggle.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! My tumblr is dork-empress


End file.
